Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyPelecanidae (Pelicans)
- GenusPelecanus (Pelicans)
- SpeciesPelecanus occidentalis (Brown Pelican)
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. The nape and neck are dark maroon–brown. The upper sides of the neck have white lines along the base of the gular pouch, and the lower fore neck has a pale yellowish patch. The male and female are similar, but the female is slightly smaller. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
Agami Heron
Agamia agami
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Fasciated Tiger Heron
Tigrisoma fasciatum
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Cocoi Heron
Ardea cocoi
Tricolored Heron
Egretta tricolor
Rufescent Tiger Heron
Tigrisoma lineatum
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Brown Pelican at Chagres National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there